At the first of two performances at Harlem’s Apollo Theater, Drake asked Dipset and 21 Savage to accompany him as he took fans on a “journey” through his career.
The 6 God ran through hit singles and deep cuts alike as the stage changed from his childhood bedroom to a record label boardroom during his intimate performance at the venerable venue on Saturday night (January 21), which had been repeatedly postponed due to TakeOff’s passing and “production delays.”
Along with Ice Spice, who Drake supposedly dissed on his most recent album Her Loss in response to rumors that he unfollowed her on Instagram, Kevin Durant, Odell Beckham Jr., and longtime producer Noah “40” Shebib also attended.
As the stage transformed into a Harlem bodega at the end of the performance, Drake pulled out local favorites Dipset. Drake played hypeman while Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and Freekey Zekey tore through “I Really Mean It,” “Dipset Anthem,” and “We Fly High (Ballin’).” Drake was dressed in Cam’ron’s well-known pink fur coat and helmet.
The Diplomats gave Drizzy a special OVO x Dipset bracelet before leaving the stage, and The Boy paid homage to the NYC crew’s influence.
“These guys right here from Harlem made us dress different, talk different, walk different, rap different — all the way in Canada,” he said.
Back in the present, Drake then invited 21 Savage on stage for a number of songs from their collaborative album Her Loss from 2022, including “Rich Flex,” “Privileged Rappers,” and “Spin Bout You,” as well as “Jimmy Cooks” and “Knife Talk.”
